People's Choice 2020: Jennifer Lopez Fights Back Tears While Accepting Icon Award

Jennifer Lopez couldn't hold back her emotions while accepting the People's Icon Award at Sunday's E! People's Choice Awards after receiving some heartfelt messages from her kids and some of her famous friends. After Armie Hammer acknowledged the singer and actress's culture-changing career with a montage of her highlights, Lopez took to the stage in a stunning red gown to accept her award.

Before she could, however, she was greeted with surprise messages from close friends such as Renee Zellweger and Nicole Kidman, who opened up about how much the "Let's Get Loud" singer means to them. When 12-year-old twins Emme and Max came on the screen, however, Lopez couldn't help but get teary as they told her how much they loved her and were proud of her.

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"2020 was no joke, right?" Lopez said, dabbing a tear from her eyes. "I mean before 2020, we were obsessing about winning this award, getting nominated for that award. We were caught up on who sold the most records or who had the biggest box office opening. But this year was the great leveler. It showed us what mattered, what didn't, and for me, reinforced what matters most: people. All of us."

Over the years, Lopez has overcome a lot of obstacles as she came into her own as a true triple threat. "Sometimes my big dreams and my ambitions made the people around me nervous," she continued. "People would say, 'You're a dancer, you can't be an actress. You're an actress, what, you want to sing? You're an artist, you won't be taken seriously as a businesswoman.'"

"The more they said I couldn't, the more I knew that I had to," she shared of the drive that pushed her to be everything she could be. "So now, here I stand, so very grateful, knowing that the true measure of my success is not in box office numbers or records sold but from the love that I feel from all of you."

It's something she hopes will inspire and pave the way for other young women around the world. "The true measure is in inspiring girls of all ages and all colors from all around the world...I want them to know their dreams are limited only by their imagination and determination and their willingness to never give up," she said.